


Riverdale Home for Troubled Youth

by honestlyandtruthfully



Series: Growing up [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 20:36:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14940962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestlyandtruthfully/pseuds/honestlyandtruthfully
Summary: Riverdale Home for Troubled Youth is the best in the area. Some intense cases get admitted for free, some get sent by their absent, rich, self-absorbed parents. When these four unlikely people find their way to each other what will happen?





	1. The Redheaded Boy

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Icons](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10933071) by [Rharharha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rharharha/pseuds/Rharharha). 



I was leaning against the iron door in my room (or rather cell), grabbing the iron bars in between the small slot in the door. My face leaning against the cool surface of the door as I stood there eyeing the corridor for the daily flow of new patients. The hushed chatter of my surroundings impatient to meet these newbies. 

The iron door at the end of the corridor opened slowly.

"Walk through the corridors, do not interact, walk in a straight and orderly line and you will be led to your new rooms," said a stern, but fake voice from the end of the hall where the now incoming line of new patients was coming from.

There weren't as many today. Four, in total. A scrawny, say, fifteen year old with no muscle on him, pale skin and brown curly hair, an older looking girl with a tangled bunch of blonde hair, blocking her face, rosy skin and piercing blue eyes. Her hands were in fists. There were two more; a tall lanky teenage boy, around 16 - 17, with pitch black hair, a grey beanie, dreary eyes and arms riddled with tattoos. And then there was one...

She was a fiery Latina, small, but you could see it in her that she was more. Stronger. She walked with a certainty. She was hiding something behind her mask. Her skin was olive. Unblemished, perfect. Her hair was a rich, shiny, raven, black. Her figure was curvy but petite. Her eyes, oh, her eyes! I had never seen anything like them. They were these dark brown pools that were the most exquisite eyes ever. I could drown in them just looking at them, yet they still seemed clouded with lies, pain. I just wanted to take away any pain behind them.

I stood there watching her as she walked hunched over, looking at her purple pumps. I shuffled on my spot where I was standing and she looked up. For a split second we set our sights on each other, our eyes locked, but only for a sweet, blissful second. She flashed a tiny forced smile. Her clouded eyes were back to the ground.

She had made me, the infamous Archie Andrews... speechless.


	2. The Beanie - Clad Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four new people were brought in. Each described by Archie. Now, it's Jughead's go.

I was brought in by the people in the white van. They said I was at danger. I was posing a threat to myself. My father didn't want this but apparently it was the only option and that we didn't have to worry about costs.

They say to not judge a book by it's cover but the facade of the Riverdale Home for Troubled Youth was innocent. But little would he know how far that was from the truth.

The others in the van, the boy and two girls both seemed quiet and rich to be honest. it's like you could smell it off them except that they were disappointments to their families. The girl with the blonde hair though was so beautiful. He couldn't place a finger on what it was about her.

They were led through the entrance, signed in and then separated into these bright rooms clear of anything save a plastic table with a needle with something in it. A lady dressed in white was sitting on a stool motioning to come to her. 

"Roll up your sleeve and sit still," she demanded. She pushed the plunger and I felt it deploy the liquid into my bloodstream. I immediately felt queasy but said nothing I was led into the corridor, once again reunited with the pretty blonde and the others. 

She was captivating. We walked in a uniform line through corridors to our rooms. We're beside each other thank god.

When all the nurses had left and the hushed chatter resumed, I asked her:

"What's your name?"

"Betty," she replied. "Betty Cooper,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so crappy...


	3. The Nervous Blonde Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Betty's go.

Alice Cooper was over the edge. She was scared of what Betty could do to herself. She just couldn't change her ways though. She took the liberty to "Save my poor, tormented daughter,". 

Ugh, it was like she was talking about a psychopath, not her own daughter. So she called the people with the white van. Her mother was paying them good money anyway. I was dragged involuntarily out of the house, my fists clenched to help keep a grip on sanity.

I looked at the tall boy with them in the van. He didn't seem the type; rich, arrogant. He seemed special, different. The tattoos. The way they winded up and around his arm. They looked good on him.

We walked into a room each. I got a needle in my arm. Polly told her all about this back home when she escaped from here. I was beginning to think this was OK though. 

But when we walked through those corridors, the plain brick walls and iron doors were so plain and simple and sad. It felt like everything was closing in on me. I recoiled a bit and nearly hit the girl behind me. Earning me looks from the others.

I bunched my hands into even tighter fists.

When we got to our rooms, we were locked inside and the slot in the door was left open. I looked around and saw that a brick was missing in the wall to my left.

I heard a rough voice ask me, "What's your name?"

It was coming from the crack.

"Betty," I said, "Betty Cooper,"


	4. The Raven Haired Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Veronica's go.

My parents had warned me.

They said; "Veronica, if you keep up with this strange behaviour we will have to send you away, of course, for your own good,". 

The Lodge household wasn't used to dealing with Veronica's 'behaviour' of late. They just wanted a perfect, little businesswoman and ally. Someone who could lie and manipulate people into doing whatever I wanted them to do. I just couldn't do it. So I just turned off everything. I became a blank girl who would smile politely, masking all the pain, fear and sadness my parents caused.

My mother was once understanding but when my father left jail, she started to be his partner-in-crime again. She no longer talked to me like I was her daughter, just a project.

My father said that they'll miss me. But I know they don't mean it they just see me as an obstacle out of the way for their plans to own Riverdale. I'm a liability since I am of no use anymore.

The people in the white van came. I smiled and said hello to them and they drove me off. I hated the smell. There were 3 more people. I wondered what they felt like, then I remembered, I should just smile and sit straight.

I got an injection, signed in and then I was told to go through some corridors where other people stayed. 

The blonde girl with matted hair in front of me jumped back slightly at the sight of all the closed doors and patients behind them. 

We walked through the corridor. When I came to the end of the first one I saw a redheaded boy looking out at me. I smiled the tiniest and most painful smile ever. I quickly looked back down. He looked sad but masking an anger that scared me.

I remembered him from the corridors in school. We didn't have many classes together, never talked, only mentioned by Kevin once, saying; "I heard he's kind of crazy. If he wasn't so hot I'd easily pass him off,"

I looked down at my clothes. My pumps and dress were the last reminder of home I would have for a while now. They were soon going to be gone. Our parents are allowed to drop some personal belongings in after a week. I didn't have much apart from clothes. Nothing of actual sentimental value. 

We were locked into our rooms and I could hear the people to my left already talking. 

I was supposed to smile.


	5. Routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have their first full day, meet new people and come across the others.

Nurses came by and gave the new patients clothes to change into. They were plain and comfortable, thank god.

An empty voice speaks over the loudspeaker. "You will now be allowed to start your day. First you will go eat, then you will have an hour of reflection, after which you will work and follow the orders of the nurses then take your classes," it says. "Remember each night has free recreational time. You will be allowed to do anything from 7pm-12am,"

The doors are suddenly opened and everyone shuffled into a direction (presumably the cantine). Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the other smaller boy follow the flow of people.

They arrive in a hall. It's big and full with patients and nurses who watch like hawks. Betty, Jughead and the small boy go to a table at the entrance of the square hall. Veronica goes to an empty table in the corner looking down at her new clothes and flats.

She feels a presence near her and looks up. It's the redhead from earlier. He's tall and well built, has a chiseled face and short, messy auburn hair that falls into his brown eyes. He's handsome but not her type. Well, her previous type because she hasn't been in the mindspace for a crush or boyfriend; or anything as a matter of fact.

"Hey," he mumbles softly looking down at the bowl of porridge (or rather mush) he brought with him. He passes the bowl to Veronica shyly. She shakes her head at the offer. "What's your name? You might want to eat, the nurses don't joke when they say we'll be working," he says. "Veronica," she says with an all too fake smile. "Yours?" she asks as politely as possible. "Archie" he says with a smirk.

Betty looks over at Jughead from where they're sitting at opposite sides of the table. "I never got your name this morning," she says through gritted teeth. She still hadn't gotten over the mixed emotions she's had since she came here.

"Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third" he says with a flair. "Or Jughead," with a snicker. "You haven't touched your food!" he asks with shock on his face. "Not much of a breakfast person," she grunts. Jughead looked her up and down. She was very thin, she had hollow cheekbones and skinny arms. He wondered if she was eating at all. He quickly finishes his bowl but immediately knows it's a bad idea. He knows when he gets out of here it won't stay down for long.

The nurses ring a bell and everyone stands up to go to our of the hall filing through different doors to their dorms. Archie looks over at Veronica.

"Bye Ronnie," he says. Veronica freezes on the spot and looks up at him tilting her head at him in surprise at the nickname. "Oh shit, sorry. No, the nickname... just came out like that. Sorry. I'm not trying to be creepy but... I just wanted to say you're beautiful, well, like... um... do you want to meet up later during reflection or free time or something? I don't know," he stammers. "Oh... me? Sure. Yes, of course. Goodbye," she said once again politely and quietly adding that obviously fake smile. It annoyed Archie as he looked into her eyes as she left how she felt obligated to hide herself from the world. 

He walked to his room and they got a five minute break and are then released for their hour of reflection. Archie practised some guitar. Guitar is a sort of treatment for his OCD, a compulsion. It's soothing for him. It helps him get over his obsessions. Most come and go. Though on his mind right now, is only one, and he's not sure it'll go away so soon.

Betty walks out of her room, her body telling her she's hungry, her mind ignoring that hunger. She heads outside hoping that the air will clear her body and mind from such distractions. Her mother always told her; "Thin is pretty," but now that she is thin she tells her it's enough but there is that voice in the back of her mind telling her, "Thin is pretty, thinner is prettier, thinnest is prettiest," People tell her; "Betty, it's not good for you, put on some weight," She knows it, but her body refuses food. She now finds that she's lost in the endless corridors of the vast home. She bumps into a tall body. Looking up she sees Jughead the new boy from earlier. 

"Hey," she says. "You lost?" he asks. "Yeah, wanna help me get outside to the gardens?" Betty says with a genuine smile on her face. They walk together, shoulder to shoulder. Jughead occasionally looking down to see her now combed hair in a tight ponytail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going on a 4 hour flight on Sunday so the chapter will most likely be up that day. xx


	6. Help Me Lose My Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie and Veronica spend time together and Betty and Jughead open up about each other.

Archie can't get his mind off Veronica. He decides to go see her. 

He spots her in the circle of colourful flowers delicately smelling a rose. She's so incredibly beautiful. She's bending down slightly. She straightens herself and sees Archie standing in the doorway of the building leaning against the frame. Their eyes locked, each staring into the others. Archie takes her in. Her hair, her eyes, her lips, her skin, her figure. She's striking in the most amazing way possible. Veronica looks down and blushes. Archie realises he's been staring at her for longer than he should've. He starts to make his way over, blushing too.

He stops right in front of her. She's still looking down.

"Hey," says Archie softly. "Hi," replies Veronica. "C'mon. Let me show you something," says Archie. Veronica nods reluctantly. He starts to walk knowing she'll follow.

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Jughead and Betty find a bench and sit on it leaving a small space inbetween them. "So... Where did you live before... all this?" asked Jughead. "Northside of Riverdale, you?" says Betty looking at him with her blue eyes. "Southside," She was suddenly intrigued by this boy who didn't seem like all the others. What was his life like before? Did he have siblings or a girlfriend? Why was he here? 

They talked for ages about what happened before this chapter of their life. Betty felt amazing about opening up to someone. She felt amazing by opening up to him. He listened and cared, unlike others.

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Veronica followed Archie down what seemed like an endless series of corridors. He was taking right and left turns. She was wondering how long he'd been here. He seemed to know the place like the back of his hand. He stopped in a large and dimly lit room. It had a large screen in front and rows of benches lined in front of it. This was the projection room.

Archie walked to a corner where a ladder was attached to the wall. He retrieved a rusty old key from the pocket in his black jeans. Cautiously he climbed to the top of the ladder and unlocked the trapdoor above the ladder. He climbed through and gestured for her to come up. 

Veronica was getting very paranoid by now. She was playing out all the worst things Archie could do to her. Before she could stop herself, she was already climbing up and grabbing Archie's warm, strong hand. When she got up the sun's bright rays beamed in her face and the wind blew her hair back. She held a hand up to block the sun. 

They were on a small balcony with broken, rusty railings. She saw Archie sitting over the edge. She sat carefully on the edge next to him. She placed her hand in between them.

"It's beautiful, the view," he says looking her in the eye with such an intensity. She nods. He places his hand on top of hers; his warm, long fingers wrapping around her soft, much colder ones. Veronica looks up at him shyly. He slowly bends his head down and looks into her eyes. Hesitation but excitement in her eyes. He pressed his lips to hers softly. A rush of electricity running through Veronica's body from her lips to her toes dangling of the rooftop.

The second time he kisses her, he cups her face with his hands. She pushes back more forcefully and moves closer to Archie her hands going up into his hair. They feel alive. Veronica showing a side to her that Archie wishes she didn't hide. They only come up for air. Veronica looks embarrassed. 

"Sorry," she mutters. "No. Don't be," Archie says, laughing. "Why are you always so polite Ronnie? You're fine the way you are. I wanna know more about you. Don't hide yourself Veronica, please," says Archie rubbing his thumb along her jaw a loving look in his eyes.

"Trust me you don't want to know about me," she says, tears welling up in her eyes as she remembers her bad girl past in New York. Archie kisses her again and pulls back leaving her to crave for his sensitive touch.

It was only a day and a bit since they'd met each other but something just, clicked.

"Yes, I do," he says with a smile. "You're so beautiful," he whispers into her neck, making her shiver all over. This time it's not him who kisses her but her who kisses him.

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"I'm so sorry Jug," says Betty. They'd been talking for ages about their lives and everything before. 

Betty opened up about her struggle to keep up with appearances of being the perfect girl-next door and the perfect daughter and the perfect student. Her mother was a bit crazy and not at all helpful. She ended up starving herself and depriving herself of sleep. One day she fainted started hurting herself. Her mother noticed and shipped her off here as she did with her older sister, who escaped from this place a while ago.

Jughead had a rough upbringing. They were poor but it never really mattered. They lived in a trailer. They were a happy family; him, his sister, his mother and father. Then his father lost his job. They were suddenly thrown in a routine of their father returning from the bar, drunk and sometimes high. He always ended up fighting with their mother. One day his mother left them and took his sister too. This made him heavily reliant on drugs and alcohol. He ended up joining the gang his father was in. They weren't good choices. He wasn't coping at all. Then one day, he overdosed. They managed to get him to the hospital in time then once he was discharged he was sent here.

She hugged Jughead. "I'm so sorry," she said, again, touching his scar on his bicep.

He shuddered at the memories. Dirty knife. Southside Serpents. Tattoo. Penny Peabody. All things that triggered that memory.

"No, don't be. I made it out, right? That's what matters. Now, I'm recovering; not that this place is very good at recovery, just locking us up," says Jughead sullenly. Betty nods and swallows.

"We're here for each other right? That's what friends do?" says Betty. "Yeah," says Jughead with a smile. He loved her optimism, even though she wasn't in a better place than he was. The way her blue eyes still sparkled even in places and times like these. 

They sat there staring at each other intensely taking the other in until the bell rang warningly telling them it was time for class, breaking them from their haze. 

They both mumbled things in apology and went inside, leaving things awkward. 

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

On the way inside in a long narrow corridor they passed Archie and Veronica.

"Veronica, come over here," says Betty. She obeys, Archie following her like a puppy with his owner. "This is Jughead," says Betty. "Jughead?" says Archie. "Is it a nickname or...?" Archie asks. "Sort of, yeah. My real name is much worse though," says Jughead with a laugh.

The four walked to their respective classes, led by Archie who knew his way around the old, stone built which were split by age and gender, meaning Veronica and Betty would be together and Archie and Jughead would also be in the same class.

Classes were the same as in school, just shorter, and at different times. They started at 11.30am and finished at 6.30pm. 

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Classes were dragging on for Veronica. She finds she's daydreaming about Archie. The force and steadiness of his lips and hands, how he held her hand and how he looked at her all distracted her. It was a good distraction because classes were over before she even knew it.

Their classes were next to each other. When the bell rang at 6.30pm exactly thanks to her watch, (one of the only things they were allowed to keep when they came because it was practical) they all got up and sped out the doors happy to leave class. Her and Betty waited outside the boy's classroom. They were being held up by their teacher. They could hear him yelling orders to leave in an orderly line. The girls snickered knowing that would be the last thing they would do after hours of class. Right after that all the boy's burst out of the room. 

Archie and Jughead come out last together talking about something their teacher said when they notice the girls waiting for them.

"Waiting long?" asks Archie. "Nah, just long enough to hear what your teacher was screaming at you about walking in an orderly line which you all blatantly disobeyed," said Betty. "In all fairness, we walked out neatly, unlike the others," Jughead scoffs. "Let's go," said Archie.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

They all split up at their rooms. After they went to the showers. Betty lets the water pour down on and flatten her hair. She thinks of Jughead. How his family abandoned him. She feels so bad almost like it's her job to be comforting him and be his friend. Ugh, her perfect girl-next door instincts kicking in. She pushes her hands through her hair shaking away all Jughead related thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mental Issues listed:
> 
> Archie: OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)  
> Veronica: Bipolar, Paranoid Personality Disorder  
> Betty: Anorexia  
> Jughead: Drug and Alcohol Abuse
> 
> * Btw I cba to make this a slow burn. It won't be exactly fast either so*
> 
> EDIT // DIDN'T GET TO PUT UP NEXT CHAPTER COZ IT GOT DELETED I'LL TRY GET IT UP FOR SUNDAY SO SORRY


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking a break from this. I don't like how I wrote it I'll probably leave it up and see but until next time. I just got super disheartened because it got deleted 10 times and by the 11th time I kinda just gave up. Sorry xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will come back to this at some point but...

Ahaha I'm so sorry but I'm just so busy with life and our fan account on insta which is @riverdalegosssip ly all xx


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